Mary is an expert on colour, she knows everything she can possibly learn about colour. However, Mary lives in a black and white room, and she can only view the outside world through a black and white screen. If Mary were to leave the room, and see colour for the very first time, would she learn anything new?
Mary’s Room is a thought experiment proposed by Frank Jackson in 1982 that poses the question as to whether physical lived experience is different to knowledge. For example, if a machine was designed to function identically to a human brain, would it know what it is like to be alive?
In 1950, scientist Alan Turing developed the ‘Turing Test’, a process that would determine whether a computer has the ability to be indistinguishable from a human. This is done by placing a human in a separate space from the computer and having the two engage in conversation, if the human believes they are communicating with another human then the test is a success. As far as we know, no technology has ever passed the test.
These two theories, among many other philosophical thought experiments are at the centre of Alex Garland’s directorial debut, Ex_Machina. A film I hold in extremely high regard and is one of the films I credit with really getting me into filmmaking and film criticism. So, with the imminent release of Garland’s latest film, Men, now is as good a time as any to revisit Ex_Machina.
Caleb Smith (Domnhall Gleeson) is a programmer for BlueBook, the world’s largest and most sophisticated search engine. He is the winner of a company competition to visit Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), CEO of Bluebook, at his isolated research facility and partake in a top-secret research project.
The project is Ava (Alicia Vikander), an artificial intelligence contained in a robotic body. Caleb’s role in the project is to administer the Turing Test with the knowledge that Ava is a machine and determine whether he believes that she is able to think and act indistinguishably from a human being, as well as determine whether she is genuinely learning through experience or simply pretending to understand to give the impression of intelligence.
Mary’s Room is a thought experiment proposed by Frank Jackson in 1982 that poses the question as to whether physical lived experience is different to knowledge. For example, if a machine was designed to function identically to a human brain, would it know what it is like to be alive?
In 1950, scientist Alan Turing developed the ‘Turing Test’, a process that would determine whether a computer has the ability to be indistinguishable from a human. This is done by placing a human in a separate space from the computer and having the two engage in conversation, if the human believes they are communicating with another human then the test is a success. As far as we know, no technology has ever passed the test.
These two theories, among many other philosophical thought experiments are at the centre of Alex Garland’s directorial debut, Ex_Machina. A film I hold in extremely high regard and is one of the films I credit with really getting me into filmmaking and film criticism. So, with the imminent release of Garland’s latest film, Men, now is as good a time as any to revisit Ex_Machina.
Caleb Smith (Domnhall Gleeson) is a programmer for BlueBook, the world’s largest and most sophisticated search engine. He is the winner of a company competition to visit Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), CEO of Bluebook, at his isolated research facility and partake in a top-secret research project.
The project is Ava (Alicia Vikander), an artificial intelligence contained in a robotic body. Caleb’s role in the project is to administer the Turing Test with the knowledge that Ava is a machine and determine whether he believes that she is able to think and act indistinguishably from a human being, as well as determine whether she is genuinely learning through experience or simply pretending to understand to give the impression of intelligence.
Regardless of how techy you are, Ex_Machina manages to keep you glued to the screen with its high tension and slow building narrative. From the get-go you know something’s off, Nathan is incredibly intelligent but has almost no social interaction skills because of his massive ego. He’s immediately threatening in the way he conducts himself, and the more you begin to learn about the process he has gone through to get Ava to this stage of development the more you begin to question his sanity and his morality. He’s playing God, and he takes as much pleasure in ending the lives he creates as he does in building them.
Ava meanwhile is endlessly cryptic, seemingly playing Caleb at his own game of psychoanalysing her, and leaving it down to the viewer to try and determine whether she has ulterior motives behind many of her actions.
Caleb is kind of a blank slate though, and that works for the kind of film this is. He’s our window into the world and the less information we have about him the more we are able to come to our own conclusions about Nathan and Ava. Caleb is usually just there to go off on tech-geek tangents in trying to understand the process behind how Ava works, so that we as the viewer have a better understanding of the themes at play in the narrative.
I love the way that the film flips between Caleb spending time with Ava in the control sessions, where the emotional core of the story lies; and then once those sessions end it’s Caleb and Nathan discussing the project and Caleb’s findings where the film really hammers home all the philosophical and moral problems in creating life, and whether Ava can even be considered a living being. Stuff like whether it’s ok that Ava’s entire life is just a test that if she fails will result in her instant death, or whether sexuality plays a role in determining existence. The sex thing is a big part of this film, there’s a whole lot of nudity and pondering on whether machines can feel physical attraction, so latching onto this concept is a key part in understanding the films frankly jaw dropping ending.
Ava meanwhile is endlessly cryptic, seemingly playing Caleb at his own game of psychoanalysing her, and leaving it down to the viewer to try and determine whether she has ulterior motives behind many of her actions.
Caleb is kind of a blank slate though, and that works for the kind of film this is. He’s our window into the world and the less information we have about him the more we are able to come to our own conclusions about Nathan and Ava. Caleb is usually just there to go off on tech-geek tangents in trying to understand the process behind how Ava works, so that we as the viewer have a better understanding of the themes at play in the narrative.
I love the way that the film flips between Caleb spending time with Ava in the control sessions, where the emotional core of the story lies; and then once those sessions end it’s Caleb and Nathan discussing the project and Caleb’s findings where the film really hammers home all the philosophical and moral problems in creating life, and whether Ava can even be considered a living being. Stuff like whether it’s ok that Ava’s entire life is just a test that if she fails will result in her instant death, or whether sexuality plays a role in determining existence. The sex thing is a big part of this film, there’s a whole lot of nudity and pondering on whether machines can feel physical attraction, so latching onto this concept is a key part in understanding the films frankly jaw dropping ending.
The film has an extremely minimalist aesthetic. Practically the entire thing takes place in one house, and Gleeson, Isaac, and Vikander are the only actors with more than a line or two of dialogue. Sonoya Mizuno is the only other actress with a major role in the film, but as Nathan’s mute house attendant she never speaks. Nathan’s house is all concrete, glass, and harsh fluorescent lighting. It’s uncomfortable, sterile, and claustrophobic, going the extra mile to put you at unease throughout the entire film.
Combine this with Rob Hardy’s extremely clean and smooth cinematography, and an eerie yet understated score from Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, Ex_Machina looks and sounds both gorgeous and deadly.
The incredible CGI work is what’s most visually striking about the film though. Ava’s body is made up of various mechanical bits and bobs, with some of it being completely see-through, in fact the only part that remains entirely Vikander’s is her face. Some of the most visually impressive special effects are related to the application and removal of skin on the bodies of Vikander and Mizuno.
Ex_Machina is one of my all-time favourite films and I highly recommend you check it out, whether you’re a tech geek like myself or not. If you are then you’ll be treated to one of cinemas most in depth analyses of artificial intelligence and the human condition; if you’re not, then you’ll still have a damn good thriller with some excellent performances to boot. Garland’s directorial debut could not have been stronger, and no matter how many times I see it I’m still completely captivated by every aspect of it.
Combine this with Rob Hardy’s extremely clean and smooth cinematography, and an eerie yet understated score from Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, Ex_Machina looks and sounds both gorgeous and deadly.
The incredible CGI work is what’s most visually striking about the film though. Ava’s body is made up of various mechanical bits and bobs, with some of it being completely see-through, in fact the only part that remains entirely Vikander’s is her face. Some of the most visually impressive special effects are related to the application and removal of skin on the bodies of Vikander and Mizuno.
Ex_Machina is one of my all-time favourite films and I highly recommend you check it out, whether you’re a tech geek like myself or not. If you are then you’ll be treated to one of cinemas most in depth analyses of artificial intelligence and the human condition; if you’re not, then you’ll still have a damn good thriller with some excellent performances to boot. Garland’s directorial debut could not have been stronger, and no matter how many times I see it I’m still completely captivated by every aspect of it.